KEY POINTS:
Dual Auckland Cup-winning jockey Mark Du Plessis will make his second transtasman trip in a week to ride New Zealand's solitary Sydney Cup hope Pentathon here tomorrow.
Pentathon was among 13 acceptors yesterday for the group-one A$800,000 ($917,000) Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick but was rated one of the outsiders.
Pentathon, who drew barrier 12 and will carry 54.5kg, drifted to a price of $35 on the New South Wales TAB after the field was declared.
New Zealand-trained gallopers have won just one Sydney Cup in the past decade courtesy of Katrina Alexander's mare Honor Babe in 2003.
Taranaki trainer John Wheeler decided to press on with a Sydney Cup start for Pentathon after the horse's disappointing 12th on a heavy track in the Chairman's Handicap (2600m) at Randwick last Saturday.
Wheeler said afterwards that Pentathon was never suited to the wet track.
The forecast for fine weather in Sydney means the surface should dry out to dead at worst.
Horse and rider, at least, both have 3200m form on the board.
Pentathon won the New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton in November and was fourth in last year's Brisbane Cup.
Du Plessis is fresh from winning his second Auckland Cup in three years aboard Prize Lady at Ellerslie last month. He had ridden Bazelle to win the race in 2005.
Other 3200m winners in the Sydney Cup field are topweight County Tyrone (57kg) who is chasing back-to-back Sydney Cup wins, and the Graeme Rogerson-trained Gallic who won the Adelaide Cup at his last start.
Blutigeroo, winner of last month's The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill, was today a $3.20 favourite ahead of the Bart Cummings-trained Prince Arthur ($4.20) and Jim Cassidy's mount County Tyrone at $7.50. Gallic was an $11 fifth favourite.
- NZPA
